Method and Apparatus for Using Data-Over-Cable Applications and Services in Non-Cable Environments

1. A generic data over cable system, comprising: a centralized data over cable aggregation system configured to use a data over cable protocol for exchanging information with an endpoint; and the centralized data over cable aggregation system configured to operate an adaptation layer that configures a non-cable network infrastructure to support data over cable applications and services; wherein the centralized data over cable aggregation system includes at least one packet shelf and at least one physical layer gateway distributed across a packet switched network and separated from each other by the packet switched network, wherein the at least one packet shelf is located on a core device of the centralized data over cable aggregation system and wherein the at least one packet shelf operates remotely from the at least one physical layer gateway, wherein the at least one packet shelf is configured to generate Data Over Cable Services Interface Specification (DOCSIS) frames for transmitting received data over the packet switched network, and wherein the at least one physical layer gateway is configured to process the DOCSIS framed data for transmission over the non-cable network infrastructure that connects the physical layer gateway to the endpoint; and wherein the packet switched network contains packet switching accruements configured to forward individually addressed packets such that different ones of the packets can traverse the packet switched network in different amounts of time.

2. The generic data over cable system according to claim 1 , wherein the adaptation layer operates partially within layer-2 and partially within layer-1 of the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) model and is configured according to a type of cable or non-cable network infrastructure connected to the endpoint.

3. The generic data over cable system according to claim 1 , wherein the adaptation layer configures a plurality of different physical layer gateways to operate with different associated cable and non-cable network infrastructures.

4. The generic data over cable system according to claim 3 , wherein either the centralized data over cable aggregation system or one of the physical layer gateways are configured to send scheduling messages to the endpoint, the scheduling messages corresponding with the type of network infrastructure coupling the endpoint to the centralized data over cable aggregation system.

5. The generic data over cable system according to claim 1 , wherein the centralized data over cable aggregation system and the endpoint each include a DOCSIS Media Access Controller (MAC) configured to exchange DOCSIS messaging over the non-cable network infrastructure.

6. The generic data over cable system according to claim 1 , wherein the adaptation layer configures both cable and non-cable network infrastructures to support DOCSIS applications and DOCSIS subscriber management services.

7. The generic data over cable system of claim 1 , wherein the packet switched network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

8. A physical layer gateway, comprising: a packet switched network interface for receiving configuration information from a remote packet shelf over a packet switched network, wherein the remote packet shelf is located on a core device of a cable modem termination system, and wherein the physical layer gateway is separated from the core device by the packet switched network; a non-cable network interface for communicating with an endpoint over a non-cable network infrastructure that connects the physical layer gateway to the endpoint; circuitry configured to receive Data Over Cable Services Interface Specification (DOCSIS) framed communications from the remote packet shelf over the packet switched network, the circuitry configured to process the DOCSIS framed data for transmission over the non-cable network infrastructure; and the circuitry configured to use the configuration information from the remote packet shelf to configure the non-cable network infrastructure to support DOCSIS messaging.

9. The physical layer gateway according to claim 8 , wherein the packet switched network interface communicates with the remote packet shelf over an Internet Protocol (IP) network.

10. The physical layer gateway according to claim 8 , wherein the non-cable network interface communicates with at least one of the following non-cable network infrastructures: Digital Subscriber Line; Satellite; Ethernet; Wireless; and Optical Fiber.

11. The physical layer gateway according to claim 8 , wherein the circuitry is configured to receive non-DOCSIS messaging from the remote packet shelf for configuring both the non-cable network interface and the endpoint to operate over the non-cable network infrastructure, the circuitry configured to receive DOCSIS messaging for configuring the endpoint for operating with a DOCSIS protocol.

12. Customer premise equipment, comprising: a physical interface configured to communicate over a non-cable network infrastructure; and a processor configured to conduct data over cable operations with a central data over cable system over the non-cable network infrastructure; wherein the physical interface conducts layer-1 and layer-2 operations associated with the particular non-cable network infrastructure and the processor conducts generic layer-2 and layer-3 data over cable operations with the central data over cable system; and wherein the physical interface is coupled though the non-cable network infrastructure to a physical layer gateway, and the physical layer gateway is coupled through a packet switched network to a packet shelf of the central data over cable system, wherein the packet shelf is located on a core device of the central data over cable system, and wherein the physical layer gateway is separated from the core device by the packet switched network.

13. The customer premise equipment according to claim 12 , wherein the physical interface includes at least one of the following: a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem; a satellite modem; an optical fiber interface; a wireless modem; or an Ethernet interface.

14. The customer premise equipment according to claim 12 , wherein lower Media Access Control (MAC) level operations are executed in the physical interface and higher MAC level operations are executed in the processor.

15. The customer premise equipment of claim 12 , wherein the physical layer gateway is coupled through an Internet Protocol (IP) network to the central data over cable system.

16. A method for operating a data over cable environment over a non-cable network infrastructure, comprising: configuring a physical interface for communicating over an associated non-cable network infrastructure; configuring data over cable functionality into endpoints coupled to the non-cable network infrastructure; operating data over cable applications and/or data over cable subscriber management services with the endpoints over the non-cable network infrastructure; operating a Data Over Cable Services Interface Specification (DOCSIS) Media Access Controller (MAC) in a central Modular Cable Modem Termination System (M-CMTS) core; establishing a communication session between the M-CMTS core and a remote physical layer gateway over a packet switched network, wherein the M-CMTS core and the remote physical layer gateway are separated by the packet switched network; configuring the remote physical layer gateway and the endpoints for operating in a particular non-cable network infrastructure during the communication session; and using the DOCSIS MAC in the M-CMTS core to exchange DOCSIS messaging with the endpoints over the remote physical layer gateway and the non-cable network infrastructure.

17. The method according to claim 16 including: conducting an adaptation session with both the physical interface and the endpoints that in a first stage exchanges messages particular to the non-cable network infrastructure; and exchanging DOCSIS messages with both the physical interface and the endpoints during a second stage of the adaptation session that are the same regardless of the type of cable or non-cable network infrastructure.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the packet switched network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network.